FBI Investigating Possible ISIS-Inspired Knife Attack in Virginia

The FBI has launched a federal terrorism investigation into a weekend stabbing in Roanoke, Virginia, looking at whether the attacker may have been trying to behead his victim in an alleged ISIS-inspired assault, sources told ABC News.

Federal authorities have been aware of the alleged attacker, 20-year-old Wasil Farooqui of the Roanoke area, for some time, sources familiar with the case told ABC News. In the past year, sources said, he traveled to Turkey and may have tried to sneak into Syria, where ISIS is recruiting and inspiring sympathizers from around the world.

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On Saturday, Farooqui allegedly injured a man and woman at an apartment complex in Roanoke, yelling “Allahu akbar” as he attacked them with a knife, sources told ABC News.

Authorities believe he may have been trying to behead the male victim, who was likely picked at random, ABC News was told.

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